Chronic pain is an often unbearable sequelae of spinal cord injury or disease. It can interfere with the basic activities, effective rehabilitation, and quality of life of the patient. Pain in the cord-injured patient is often recalcitrant to treatment. This problem is amplified by the limited availability of effective pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options.
The prevalence of pain in patients with spinal cord injury is high: in some studies ranging from about 62% to 84% of patients. Back pain is also a feature of other injuries and conditions. For example, postural abnormalities and increased muscle tone in Parkinson's disease may cause back pain, were the prevalence can be as high as 74%. Other conditions associated with back pain include congestive heart failure and osteoarthritis.
Because back pain is often intractable within the current spectrum of clinical modalities, there is a need for new technology designed for pain management.